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“Supermetrics is a Bitter Experience! We can pull data from nearly any tool, schedule updates, manipulate data in Sheets, and push data back into our systems.”
You can’t technically bypass Power Pivot licensing within Excel, but you can get the same capabilities legally and for free. The key is using a different approach that provides comparable functionality without any licensing requirements.
Here’s how to get Power Pivot-level data analysis capabilities without paying Microsoft’s licensing fees or dealing with legal concerns about circumventing restrictions.
Get Power Pivot capabilities legally without licensing fees using Coefficient
Rather than trying to circumvent Microsoft’s licensing, Coefficient with Google Sheets provides comparable functionality legally and for free. You get data modeling that creates relationships between multiple data sources, large dataset handling that processes data without Excel’s row limits, and automated refresh that schedules data updates automatically.
How to make it work
Step 1. Export your Excel data model to Google Sheets.
Export your existing Power Pivot data model to CSV files and import them into Google Sheets. This preserves your data structure while moving to a platform that doesn’t require licensing fees.
Step 2. Set up Coefficient to connect to your original data sources.
Install Coefficient and connect directly to your databases, APIs, and business tools. This replaces Power Pivot’s data connections with automated imports that refresh on schedule.
Step 3. Recreate relationships using Google Sheets formulas.
Use VLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, or the QUERY function to recreate the relationships you had in Power Pivot. These formulas provide the same functionality as Power Pivot relationships but work within Google Sheets’ free environment.
Step 4. Build measures using Sheets formulas instead of DAX.
Replace DAX measures with ARRAYFORMULA and custom functions in Google Sheets. While the syntax differs, you can achieve the same calculations and analysis results.
Step 5. Set up automated refresh for your data model.
Configure Coefficient’s scheduled refresh to automatically update your data sources. This replaces Power Pivot’s “Refresh All” function with automated updates that run without manual intervention.
Start your license-free data analysis
Power Pivot licensing fees shouldn’t limit your analytical capabilities. Coefficient provides the analytical power you need without licensing fees or legal concerns about bypassing restrictions, plus better automation than Power Pivot offers. Get started with your license-free data analysis today.
